Editorial dismissing the Gettysburg Address as ‘silly remarks’ retracted 150 years later

A Pennsylvania newspaper retracted an editorial written 150 years ago that dismissed the Gettysburg Address as “silly remarks” that deserved a “veil of oblivion,” the Associated Press reports.

The Patriot-News of Harrisburg says it regrets missing the “momentous importance, timeless eloquence and lasting significance.” The paper reflects President Abraham Lincoln’s words, writing, “By today’s words alone, we cannot exalt, we cannot hallow, we cannot venerate this sacred text, for a grateful nation long ago came to view those words with reverence, without guidance from this chagrined member of the mainstream media.”

Patriot & Union Editorial, 1863: On the Gettysburg Address